Museum in Henderson a step closer to reality

By Mike Trask (contact)

Monday, March 2, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The 15-year-old idea to build a science museum in Henderson has taken a baby step closer to reality.

The Henderson City Council on Feb. 17 approved an initial plan — called a visioning book — for a 51,600-square-foot museum on 150 city owned acres near U.S. 95 and Galleria Drive. The site is adjacent to homes and Central Christian Church.

The museum would be the centerpiece of a mixed-use development that would likely include restaurants, retail space and condominiums, said Eddie Dichter, a principal planner.

Last year the city paid $200,000 to consultants for advice on what kind of museum would best suit the area.

The museum would likely focus on “scientific accomplishments and issues in Southern Nevada,” according to the visioning book.

The museum would cost about $61 million and could draw 300,000 visitors annually, the consultants said.

The city purchased the parcel in the 1990s in hope of drawing spring training camps for Major League baseball teams. But that didn’t pan out.

The city has since been searching for a community-based project — such as the museum or an art gallery.

In a 2007 survey, most residents indicated support for a museum.

The next step toward a museum is to adopt a master plan for the area, which would outline zoning changes and designs. Dichter said it will likely take about five months for staff to create a plan to show the City Council

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North Las Vegas has started work on one of its most ambitions capital improvement projects.

The city is widening North Fifth Street into an eight-lane thoroughfare connecting downtown with the Las Vegas Beltway.

City officials expect the improved road to ease congestion on other north-south thoroughfares in the city and provide an alternative to Interstate 15 and U.S. 95.

The project is being funded by $160 million from the Regional Transportation Commission. The money is part of the $2.7 billion Question 10 tax package passed by Clark County voters in 2002.

The city is centering redevelopment and retail growth plans on North Fifth improvements.

However, the recession has affected progress.

The city had been hyping a 160-acre mixed-use development at North Fifth and Craig Road. Last summer it was named Desert Star in a contest that drew thousands of entries.

But little work has been done on the project, which was planned to house movie theaters, more than 1 million-square-feet of retail space and 700 condominium units.

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The first library in the state to call a shopping mall home opened Saturday in the Galleria at Sunset.

The Henderson Library District opened its newest branch on the first floor near the former Mervyns store. The library hours are: Monday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m. to noon; and Wednesday, 1 to 8 p.m. It will be closed on Friday and Sunday.

The 1,350-square-foot storefront will feature popular literature, children’s books and free Internet access.

The mall has given the space to Henderson for eight months. The district spent roughly $25,000 on remodeling and stocking the shelves.

Meanwhile, renovations continue at the Green Valley Library at Green Valley Parkway and Sunset Road. Henderson took over that library from Clark County this year.

It has been closed since Dec. 23 and is scheduled to reopen in April.

Henderson is adding seating areas, a bookstore and a new computer lab at a cost of about $500,000.

A small branch is also planned for the new Heritage Senior Center, which is scheduled to open this fall at Burkholder Boulevard and Racetrack Drive.